President Donald Trump tweeted, then deleted, an endorsement of Rep. Steve Stivers that appeared to get election dates mixed up.

That, or Trump accidentally endorsed the wrong candidate entirely.

Trump’s endorsement was made Aug. 2 on Twitter, extolling the four-term congressman’s stances on the border, the military and the Second Amendment.

“Get out and vote for Steve on Aug 7th,” Trump wrote. “He has my full & total endorsement.”

However, Stivers (R-Upper Arlington) was not on the Aug. 7 special election ballot. Stivers’ 15th District race for the U.S. House of Representatives against Democrat Rick Neal is not contested until this November’s election.

A spokesperson for Stivers’ congressional office did not respond to a request for comment about the apparent presidential endorsement. Stivers’ 15th Ohio District includes all of Vinton County.

There was, in fact, a congressional race on the Aug. 7 ballot – for the 12th District in the northern Columbus area. That seat has been vacant since incumbent Pat Tiberi resigned in January. The special election featured Franklin County Recorder Danny O’Connor, a Democrat, against Ohio Sen. Troy Balderson (R-Zanesville). Results were announced late Tuesday evening after The Courier’s print deadline.

Balderson’s 20th Ohio Senate District includes all of nearby Hocking County, among other areas.

Did Trump mean to endorse Stivers but merely got that race mixed up with the Aug. 7 special election race? Or, did the president intend to endorse the Republican candidate in the special election race but confused Balderson for Stivers?

The answer is unclear, since Trump deleted the tweet after receiving criticism for promoting Stivers in an election that didn’t exist.

Another tweet posted later on Aug. 2 from Trump did offer support for Balderson’s campaign. Trump later appeared with Balderson at a campaign rally on Aug. 4.